1. Field of the Invention
Methods and apparatuses consistent with the present invention relate to receiving and transmitting sound information using a home network device and, more particularly, to a home network device that can control a control target device through a user interface and sound information transmitted from the control target device connected to a home network, and a method of receiving and transmitting sound information using the home network device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A home network system refers to a technology in which home appliances are connected to a network, so that communication between humans, between devices, and between a human and a device can be performed.
Home appliances can be conveniently controlled through such communication without limitation with respect to space or the devices, and many various forms of service can be received, therefore enhancing the quality of life.
The home network system may include a control device, such as a digital television (TV) or a personal digital assistant (PDA), with which a user controls the devices of a home network through a user interface, and control target devices, such as a set-top box and a digital versatile disk (DVD), which are controlled by the control device.
In this case, the control device provides a user interface for a specific control target device, and the user controls the specific control target device through the user interface. Meanwhile, the control device may be provided with user interfaces for controlling all of the control target devices connected through the home network, but does not have a user interface for a control target device that is newly added to the home network, so that inconvenience occurs in that an additional user interface for the newly added control target device must be provided to the user through a separate download.
Recently, for the case in which the control device is not provided with a user interface for a specific control target device, the control device provides a user interface, which is transmitted from the corresponding control target device, to the user. Accordingly, even in the state in which the control device is not provided with a user interface for a corresponding control target device, the user can control the corresponding control target device.
As described above, the technology in which the control device provides the user interface, which is transmitted from the corresponding control target device, to a user has been standardized in Intel's eXtended Remote Technology (XRT) and Samsung's eXpandable Home Theater (XHT).
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the construction of a related art home network system.
As shown in FIG. 1, the related art home network system 10 includes a control target device 11 and a control device 12.
The control target device 11 includes a user interface generation unit 11a for generating a user interface to be transmitted to the control device 12 connected through a home network 13, a communication unit 11b for transmitting the generated user interface to the control device 12 and receiving a request for the user interface from the control device 12, and a control unit 11c for controlling the generation and transmission of the user interface in response to the request from the control device 12.
The control device 12 includes a display unit 12a for displaying the user interface transmitted from the control target device 11 connected through the home network 13, a communication unit 12b for requesting the user interface from the control target device 11 and receiving the user interface corresponding to a request result, and a control unit 12c for controlling the request of the user interface and the display of the received user interface according to the user's control.
The home network system of FIG. 1 provides a user interface, which is transmitted from a control target device that a user desires to control, to the user, so that the user can control the control target device even though the user does not know the details about the control target device.
However, in the case where an event attributable to a different control device occurs in the control target device or an event attributable to a variation in the status of the control target device occurs, a problem occurs in that the occurrence of the event cannot be made known to the user.
In other words, the variation in status attributable to the occurrence of the event in the control target device is not taken into account by the user interface that is already being displayed through the control device, so that normal operation may not be performed.
For example, in the case where the control target device has been in play status while the user interface, transmitted from the control target device, is displayed on the control device and then playing is stopped due to device trouble in the control target device, there is no method of announcing the fact that device trouble has occurred in the control target device through the user interface already displayed on the control device.
To solve such a problem, Korean Unexamined Pat. No. 2005-0018317 discloses a method that can easily control a control target device using a convenient method even though the details about the control target device are not known, and allows a control device to easily detect the occurrence of an event in the case where an event occurs in the control target device.
In the disclosed method, the control device can detect the occurrence of an event corresponding to variation in status in the control target device. However, the disclosed method does not address the case where it is necessary to transmit sound information corresponding to variation in the status of the control target device, for example, an alarm sound or an effect sound.